Steve Hansen regrets security lapse at New Zealand meeting

Steve Hansen: 'England are looking to be number two in the world, and we are striving to be better than where we are'

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen regrets the lapse in security which resulted in team-room messages being published in the media.

Snippets of motivational speeches surfaced in the press earlier this week after a door to a room had been left open at the All Blacks' hotel in Kensington, allowing passers-by to read what had been written on a whiteboard during a squad meeting.

Reports suggest the messages included such comments as "We are the most dominant team in the history of the world" and "We are playing England - this is about history, about human nature".

And Hansen is aware the security lapse has done his team no favours.

"When there's a breach like this it is disappointing," he said in the Daily Telegraph.

"We have given ourselves an uppercut. It was our problem letting someone in there. Ultimately, we shouldn't have done that. But we can't change it."

"We have given ourselves an uppercut. It was our problem letting someone in there" - Steve Hansen

He did, however, fend off accusations of arrogance within the team.

"England are looking to be number two in the world, and we are striving to be better than where we are, even though we are at number one," he said.

"That's the place we're in, and we're happy with it.

"We have massive expectations in our country from our fans. If you don't look to improve yourselves you are going to go backwards. You're striving for the perfect performance."

Hansen also hit back at suggestions his side would be looking for revenge this weekend after last year's 38-21 loss at Twickenham, but admitted his team had been outplayed on that occasion.

He said: "England were first, daylight was second, and we were third. We have no excuses. We got beaten by a side who played far better than we did.

"I reckon 'revenge' is one of the silliest words you could ever use in rugby. It's too strong.

"Revenge is quite a hateful word, and our game is a beautiful one. It's more of an opportunity to see if we have improved."

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